Forbidden Attraction (8 page)

“Join me for coffee,” Erin called out from the other room.

Heidi had been accepted into the den. It took Erin a few minutes, and seriously, Heidi couldn’t blame her. She remembered how shocked she’d been when she’d seen the Malta bitch standing outside Tamara and Martin’s den when Heidi still lived with them. Heidi helped Erin that night, getting her out of Heidi’s territory and back to the safety of her own kind. Apparently, Erin would return the favor. Except that Heidi hadn’t been abducted and brought here. She’d almost forced the situation just to get here. Remembering Nicolo’s hands on her, his mouth on hers, she didn’t think he’d minded too much.

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Heidi helped Erin with the coffee and then the two of them returned to the living room. The large fireplace heated the entire cabin, and although it did a decent job, the living area definitely was the warmest room in the den.

“Does your pack leader know you’re here?” Erin asked.

“Oh shit. I was supposed to call him once I arrived at the den where I’d be staying until the storm blew over.”

Heidi pulled out her cell phone and placed the call. She sighed loudly with relief when it went over to voicemail. Quickly, she told Bob she was staying with a bitch in her den and would be safe here during the storm.

“Your pack leader is okay with you being here?” Erin asked.

“He was pissed as hell,” Heidi admitted and blew on her coffee.

“I don’t see how you two think you can pull off any kind of relationship. Our breeds hate each other.”

“But why do we hate each other?” Heidi stared Erin in the eye, seriously wanting to hear her take on the situation.

“All breeds hate us,” Erin said, shrugging as if it didn’t matter to her and turning her attention to the fire. “At this rate, we’re going to need to bring in more firewood from the shed.”

“Maybe you’re feared because you aren’t understood. Is it true you were all altered somehow by some pack leader on the Malta island?”

“Not all of us. And that isn’t something I want to talk about.”

“You see,” Heidi pointed out, waving the air between them and making Erin frown.

Obviously the bitch didn’t see. “Any werewolf will avoid something he or she doesn’t understand. Maybe if you weren’t so hushed about how you’re different, things would be easier for our breeds.”

“Maybe,” was all Erin said, and then sipped at her coffee.

Heidi hated submitting more than anything—no matter if it were to a male or female. Granted, she loved the domination Nicolo challenged her with. But she’d be damned if she would submit to him. And as the silence between them grew, Heidi knew she wouldn’t be able to submit to Erin’s desire to not discuss something in her own den.

“Why don’t you want to talk about it?” They had to talk about something or it would be one long fucking night with the bitch. “Is it true you can read minds?”

For a moment, Erin looked pissed enough to storm out of the room. “I can’t,” she said, her mouth barely moving.

“So some of you can do some things while others of you can’t?”

“Pretty much.”

“Actually, that’s kind of cool.” Heidi had to say something to get Erin’s anger to subside. Maybe offering something personal about herself might help. “I’ve lived on 40

Forbidden Attraction

our mountain now for almost five years. Before that, I ran from pack to pack. Your littermates really care about you. I sensed that on the ride over here. You’re lucky to have such a loving den.”

“What happened to your den?” Erin asked, proving that a bitch’s curiosity would overcome her anger.

“I was whelped in the Prince George pack in Canada. But when the pack leader created laws about mating that my parents didn’t approve of, we moved. I was a teenager at the time.” Heidi hated allowing the terrible memories to surface. She’d forced the conversation though, and she swallowed the lump that quickly swelled in her throat. Even so, her stomach twisted painfully as she spoke. “Both of my parents and my younger littermate were killed by humans shortly after we entered the United States.”

“Nicolo, Dimitri and I are all that survived of our den when our pack was burned in Malta.” Erin’s long black hair covered part of her face when she focused on her coffee cup.

“Your pack was burned because some of you had powers?”

Erin nodded. Now Heidi understood why Erin hated talking about how her pack was different. There wasn’t any greater pain than losing a den. And even though she’d love to know more about these powers, this was Erin’s den.

If the bitch didn’t want to talk about it, Heidi wouldn’t press the subject further.

“We better bring in more firewood.” Erin got up and put her coffee cup in the sink.

Heidi hurried to follow. Erin didn’t say much as they hauled wood from a small shed behind her den into the living room until they had enough to keep the fire strong throughout the night.

“These are all the extra blankets that I have.” Erin handed Heidi bedding and then knelt in front of the fire. She poked at it and the flames danced. “My mate is the littermate of the werewolf who Dimitri blamed for burning our pack. Even today, they hardly speak to each other. Dimitri knows I’m happy, but his damned pride and anger over our den being destroyed keeps him from admitting it. I’m not sure what he’d do if Nicolo also defied him with a mating Dimitri didn’t approve of.”

After both of them confessed their pain over their destroyed dens, Heidi suddenly felt selfish for her interest in Nicolo. The last thing she wanted was to hurt anyone’s den. She opened her blankets, covering herself, but she doubted she’d sleep. It wasn’t like taking a late night run was an option in Malta territory. Erin settled in next to her, grabbing the remote and flipping channels, acting as restless as Heidi felt.

Morning came faster than she expected. Erin had fallen asleep next to her, either because she didn’t trust Heidi, or maybe the bitch didn’t want to sleep alone. But when Heidi stirred, Erin woke up and shifted under the blankets she’d cocooned herself in.

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“Coffee,” the bitch muttered. She padded into the kitchen, wearing just her shirt.

Moments later, the rich brew’s smell tickled Heidi’s senses enough that she got up and folded blankets.

Heidi entered the kitchen and Erin nodded to the pot, mumbling something about Heidi making herself at home in her den before heading into her bedroom. Apparently Heidi passed some test of trust with Erin. A good feeling washed over her as she helped herself to steaming hot coffee.

“I don’t know about you, but I’m going to go nuts sitting here wondering where my mate is.” Erin came out of the bedroom wearing fresh clothes. “You may wash up in our bathroom if you like, but then I say we head out and find out where everyone is.”

With cold water splashed on her face and a couple cups of coffee inside her, Heidi couldn’t wait to get out and bound through the snow. The only problem was that she’d be running through Malta territory. No matter that Erin was with her, fear trickled through her when the two of them undressed in front of the fire.

Heidi twisted her clothes into a collar and wrapped them around her neck, then followed Erin to the door, noting how beautiful the bitch looked. Her dark skin and coal-black hair gave her an exotic appearance. Heidi imagined Nicolo naked and almost tripped over her feet.

The sudden rush of lust and aching desire that hit her brought the change on with even more fury. Her bones popped and grew while blood pumped in her veins at a speed too fast for her human body to handle.

The sweet pain of the change hit her like a fast-acting drug. Erin had opened the door with the change already consuming her as well. She barely managed to close the door securely before falling to the ground, her long black coat draping to her feet while she stood before Heidi.

Heidi’s senses heightened, her vision growing more acute while the smells of the outdoors filled her nostrils. Everything smelled fresh and clean, but the rich scent of the dangerous-looking black creature in front of her grabbed her attention. She dropped to all fours, loving the prickle over her skin while thick fur quickly protected her from the cold.

Heidi turned, sniffing Erin, her long, thick tail wagging slowly. Snow reached Heidi’s shoulders, although she no longer felt the cold. Instead, energy pulsed inside her while she stared into Erin’s almond-shaped silver eyes. In their fur, Erin stood a lot taller than Heidi. For a moment, fear attacked her too quickly to hide it. This close to each other and this deep into Malta territory, Heidi would be a dead bitch if Erin attacked her.

Erin growled, shaking her head, and then turned and leapt into the snow. Relief hit Heidi so hard that for a moment she just watched the beautiful black creature and how her fur contrasted so perfectly against the freshly fallen snow.

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Erin burrowed through the snowdrifts, barking with excitement like a cub dying to play in the first snowfall of the year. She also created a path, which made it easier for Heidi to leap after her. They ran like this for a while before finding a shoveled road.

That’s when Heidi smelled other werewolves. Her back prickled while the hair between her shoulder blades rose to attention. Slowing, she studied their surroundings, getting her bearings. Instinct had her searching for the direction of
lunewulf
territory, which was where she would run at the first smell of danger. And she smelled it coming on to them fast.

And from more than one direction. Erin turned, circling around her quickly as if trying to reassure her that she’d protect her. Heidi didn’t need her protection. She needed to run. With every beat of her heart, instinct told her to get the hell out of there, and now.

She spotted two Malta werewolves coming toward them at the same time that she smelled more werewolves behind them. Immediately the two werewolves lunged toward Heidi, teeth bared and claws extended to attack. Erin jumped between them, snarling so dangerously that Heidi leapt out of the way. And hit solid muscle when she smacked into another werewolf behind her.

She turned, fighting the panic that continued to mount inside her. For a moment, she couldn’t remember what direction she needed to run, or how to fight, or growl, or even breathe. Heidi stared up at the most ferocious-looking creature she’d ever laid eyes on.

She froze, knowing she would die—more sure of it than she’d ever been of anything in her life. The large werewolf almost stood over her, crushing her to the ground, when he let a howl rip from his body. She felt it vibrate through her. When her heart almost exploded inside her chest, she remembered to breathe, and at the same time let out a squeal that had to sound more than pathetic.

But then it hit her. The Malta werewolf crushing her as he stood over her didn’t growl at her. He roared at the other Malta werewolves surrounding them. And they didn’t appear to like what he had to say—not one fucking bit.

Erin joined the large werewolf, creating a black wall of fur while the two of them growled at their pack members. Heidi recognized Nicolo’s all-male scent, although now it bordered on something so much more dangerous.

Something crashed to the ground, and Heidi realized a tree branch had fallen, sending snow showering through the air and making everything around Heidi sparkle for a moment. She jumped out of the way, but not far enough that Nicolo didn’t immediately reach her side. He didn’t look at her, didn’t check to see if she was all right, but instead rose to his hind feet, screaming, while his long white teeth glowed against his black fur. Another werewolf leapt at him, falling backward when Nicolo sliced the air with his massive paw.

He would fight his own kind for her. That reality weighed her down more than his large body pressing against her when he fell to all fours. More than anything, she 43

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wanted to know him better, to understand a werewolf with so much power and honor that he’d fight for what he believed was right no matter what his pack thought.

She’d sought him out because he’d stirred lust inside her like no
lunewulf
ever had.

Fucking him, knowing more about him, really appealed to her. But she was no fool. If he fought for her in front of his pack, it would be a forced mating. Even if neither of their packs approved, tradition ran deep among werewolves, and she’d already gotten a hint of how strong it was in Nicolo. In his fur, instinct would prevail. He might not see the repercussions of his actions right now, but Heidi sure as hell did. She didn’t believe either one of them wanted to start a war between their packs because of their physical attraction. It was time to get the hell out of here.

The metallic smell of blood attacked her, and she yelped, knowing none of them heard her. Snow flew everywhere. Hostile emotions clogged the air. If he were one of her breed, fighting for her, she’d be honored. But fighting his own pack, possibly ostracizing himself because of her, couldn’t happen. Not because of lust. Not because of their craving to see what might exist between them. Better to leave them both wondering than one of them dead—or worse, without a pack.

She quickly looked around her, got her bearings and then bolted into the snow, running with everything she had in the direction of her pack.

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God damn it!

Nicolo turned and watched Heidi disappear into the snow. Roaring at the morons who’d fight with their own shadows given the chance, he tore after Heidi. Erin could handle herself against those two. Hell. A pup could take down those two assholes.

Something crashed behind him, but he didn’t bother looking over his shoulder.

From the squeals that followed, he could picture another branch falling to the ground, this one hitting its target—or as the case may be, targets. It was one of Erin’s favorite ways of using her gift, and an act he prayed she didn’t have to do quite as much these days now that she was mated. Erin had always loved making large branches crash down on any male who bugged her a bit too much.